Credible Threats?

While we celebrate the commissioning of DDG-109 USS Jason Dunham named in honor of a Marine Corps Medal of Honor winner, lets take a look at the global naval stage.

The People's Republic of China is building up its naval forces which will make its dominance on the seas around Taiwan even more pronounced. In contrast, the US Navy ship strength is continuing to shrink to less than 300 ships to cover the seven seas.

US Northern Command has confirmed two Russian nuclear submarines have patrolled off the US East Coast in international waters recently. Submarine strength in the US Navy is very slowly shifting to the Virginia class of fast attack submarines, but it seems total number of subs is shrinking as Congress barely keeps funding for one or two boats a year.

Luckily the Americna ally of India is busily expanding the size of its fleet. It presently has 120 ships which makes it the fifth largest navy in the world. To ensure the continued dominance of the Indian Navy, they are laying the foundation to add another 100 ships to their fleet. They have even built a nuclear submarine based off a Russian design.

With continued US dependence upon open sea lanes for material and finished products, to allow the US naval strength to wither further borders on criminal negligence. The US Navy once had 9 CVs, 8 CVLs, 5 BBs, 14 CAs, and 58 DDs assigned to Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet and 6 BBs, 11 CAs, 18 CVEs, 86 DDs, and 25 DEs in Admiral Kincaid's Seventh Fleet for the invasion of Leyte or 240 fighting ships. Soon the modern US Navy's total strength will barely exceed what the United States committed to just one invasion.

And before someone pops off with, the modern ships are more powerful; stop for a moment and think. A ship can still only be in one spot at a time and the area of force projection for a carrier battle group is not that much greater than it was in WWII. This backslide in total strength must be stopped or our competitors/advesaries will readjust their calculations and decide the US Navy can be defeated and their grand designs fulfilled. Do we need the lesson of Pearl Harbor taught again?